Apparatus for mixing powdered material



May 18, 1948. E. SHAW ET AL 2,441,774

APPARATUS FOR MIXING POWDERED MATERIAL I Filed. Sept. 22, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTORS. 7%0mas S/zaw 7 k amas efkaw ma/QM,

ATTORNEYS May 18, 1948.

T. E. SHAW ET AL APPARATUS FOR MIXING POWDERED MATERIAL Filed Sept., 22, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS T/f'omas Jhaw 7710/7706 5 Jkaw v ATTORNEYS Patented May 18, 1948 r sN r Fries Thomas E. Shaw and Thomas Shaw, Cranston, R. I.

Application September 22, 1944, Serial' No. 555370 lclaim'.

1. r V a Quite frequently when powdered material :is shipped ima barre'l or some such like :container, stratifiEatibn -will'occur due 1 to the jogglingi in transit, such for inst'ance' as bytruckbr train, so =that'the contents-bf the barrel or container become very much -stratified, that is the finest particles will be at the lower part of the container and the coarsest particles-will be at the upper part=of thecontainerwhereas between the'two there will be graduations of different sizes from the fine to the coarse so that no even blend of the divided material occurs. On opening the container after shipment,ithe problem is presented bi getting the fine'an'd coarse mixed so as toprovide an even mixture of the entire barrel throughout. Mixing of dry" materials usually takesplace by agitation or stirring. By such an operation it is found 'difli'cult to p'rovidea homogeneous mixture of particles of different'sizes.

one ofthe objects of'this invention is to so divide the-material in powdered'form when found in a stratifiedcondition; that it will be substantially homogeneous for the entire batch which is provided, that is the fine will be mixed with the coarse and intermediate in substantially equal amounts for-anygiven portion of the mass.

Another object of this invention is to provide for the mixing of materials together more completely than can be accomplished by stirring or agitation.

Another object of this invention is to provide an arrangement so that plurality of materials from different batches may be mixed together with uniformity.

Another object of the invention is the selection of portions of each of the different layers of a powdered mass and collecting portions of each stratification together in a compartment and then subsequently again dividing into portions and mixing together these portions whereby a grouping of portions of various parts of the mass as it originally existed is had.

With these and other objects in View. the invention consists of certain novel features of construction, as will be more fully described and particularly pointed out in the appended claim.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of an apparatus for carrying out our invention;

Fig. 2 is a section on substantially line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a section on line 33 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view showing mounting of the rotary carriage on the lower portion of the upright supporting mast;

Fig. 5 is a. fragmenta-lsectional view-illustrating the mounting of'the rotaryoarriage on the upper part of the sm'aporting mast;

In proceeding with thisinventionwedeposit small portions cf each Stratification of the powdered material as it may exist in a batch" of powdered material into each of several compartmerits byrunning small portions-of the lower layer of divided material into each container: and then small portions of the next intermediate layer and then the next'inte'rmediate layer; and soon throughout the batch so' that a small portionof each layer'of material-will be in each container. This is conveniently"accomplished by placing the powdered material fromthe barrel or container in which it is shipped-intoa large hopperand permitting discharge ofthe'powdered material through a nozzle while separate'compartments'are passed beneath the discharging nozzle-in a certain uniform timed relation in'a' manner so that each container or compartment will pass beneath the nozzle a number of timesatleast equivalent to such number of different strata as may exist that asmallpartof each stratification-of-powdered material maybe collected in each container. This arrangement provides a very: good mixture of the different parts :of the powdered material. If desired, the powdered material may be taken from a plurality of diiferent sources. If it is desired to get further mixing of the material, that collected in different compartments may all again be dumped into the hopper and the same run out again into individual or separate containers that a greater dividing of various portions of the entire mass may be had and collected in individual batches.

With reference to the drawings we have provided hoppers at Ill and I l of a suflicient size to contain within them, as at i2, the entire batch of the powdered material to be mixed. These are conveniently mounted upon some support l3 so that the hopper is in overhanging relation or extends out therefrom. A discharge nozzle I5 is provided at the lower end of each hopper.

Various ways may be provided for passing separate compartments or individual containers beneath the discharge nozzle l5. We have, however, illustrated as a convenient means for accomplishing this, the utilization of a mast l6 which'is supported in a base I! having a socket i8 to receive the reduced portion IQ of the mast. The base H is secured to some suitable support 20 by means of bolts 2|. Telescoped over this mast Hi there is a tubular member 22 which is mounted on ball bearing 23 at its lower end and adjacent containers.

ball bearing 24 at its upper end so as to provide easy rotation thereof on the mast as an axis.

An annulus 25 is supported by means of tie rods 26 from the collar 21 located adjacent the upper end of the tubular member 22 and thrust rods 28 supported from the collar 29 adjacent the lower end of the member 22 so that the annulus may be rotated clear of the floor or support for the mast l6 and beneath the two nozzles l of the two hoppers. This annulus is driven by an electric motor 30 which, by means of shaft 3| and transmission gearing 32, drives the sprocket gear 33 and through chain 34 drives the sprocket 35 fixedly mounted on the member 22 for the rotation thereof about the mast l6.

Separate compartments are provided by indi- 31 extending generally radially of the annular member 25. These individual containers 36 may be each lifted from the annulus for handling of the powdered content which is collected therein. These containers on the annulus will pass beneath each of the nozzles l5 of the hoppers which are provided thereover' and as the material runs out of each hopper or a single hopper it will be collected in a container in an amount equal to the time that each container is beneath the nozzle 15. This amount may be regulated by the speed at which the container is caused to travel in its closed path.

In order that the powdered material which is collected in each container will not drop between the walls of adjacent containers we provide a cap or inverted V deflector 38 which bridges two walls 39 and 40 of adjacent containers so as to direct the material which is discharged from the hopper to one or the other but not between two It will, of course, be appreciated that if the containers were so designed that they contacted side by side so as to leave 40 no gap between them such a capping arrangement of the adjacent walls would not be needed.

After a batch of material to be mixed is divided in this manner once, if it is desired that the same'be mixed to a greater degree, then, we may dump the material from eachtof the containers back into the hopper and run the same vidual containers 36 each supported upon tracks 4 through again. In this manner a greater division will be provided and a more even mixture accomplished.

From the above it will be clearly apparent that 5 we have provided for a dividing of powdered material from each of as many layers as may exist o f difierent grades of coarseness or fineness and collected portions of each in an accumulated mass of substantially the proportions and size which we desire for further use.

We claim:

An apparatus for mixing powder comprising a revolvable carrier having its periphery traveling ina closed path, individual readily portable containers resting upon said carrier adjacent its periphery and so placed that their walls are at generally right angles to the path of travel and are in close adjacency, bridging means extending from the wall of one container to the wall of the next container, and a hopper for the powdered material to be mixed provided with a discharge nozzle located over the path of travel of said containers and their bridging means for discharging material thereinto.

THOMAS E, SHAW.

THOMAS SHAW.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the 80 file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 445,732 Oldham Feb. 3, 1891 532,500 Thomann Jan. 15, 1895 637,081 Calkins Nov. 14, 1899 722,782 Weaver Mar. 17, 1903 832,400 Lyons Oct. 2, 1906 1,125,103 'Iijima Jan. 19, 1915 1,145,215 Roney July 6, 1915 2,094,802 Hexter Oct. 5, 1937 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 467,526 Germany Oct. 26, 1928 

